Seven women in Desafio Ruta 40: A Remarkable Participation
The fourth round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship in Argentina saw seven women show their skill and determination on the Desafio Ruta 40.
Among them was only one all-female crew: Nadia Lafuente from Uruguay and Maria Uribe from Colombia, who competed in the Challenger category on a Can-Am Maverick.
The race featured four female drivers: Dania Akeel from Saudi Arabia, driving a Taurus T3 Max in the Challenger category.
Puck Claassen from the Netherlands, also driving a Taurus T3 Max in the Challenger category.
Rebecca Busi from Italy, driving a Can-Am Maverick in the SSV category.
Nadia Lafuente from Uruguay, participating in the Challenger category.
There were also three female co-drivers: Valentina Pertegarini from Argentina, who drove a Taurus T3 Max with Nicolas Cavigliasso in the Challenger category.
Mirna Pereira from Paraguay, who teamed up with Oscar Santos in a Can-Am Maverick in the Challenger category.
Maria Uribe from Colombia, who co-drove with Nadia Lafuente.
Among these outstanding competitors, three women finished on the podium in their respective categories.
Valentina Pertegarini finished 2nd in the Challenger category and secured an impressive 7th place overall.
Dania Akeel, driving a Taurus T3 Max, finished 3rd in the Challenger category and 8th overall, underlining her growing prominence in rally-raid competition.
Rebecca Busi showed her driving skills to take 3rd place in the SSV category.
Nadia Lafuente and Maria Uribe, the all-female crew, finished 7th in the Challenger category.
Mirna Pereira finished 9th in the Challenger category. Sadly, Puck Claassen did not finish the race, but her participation was a testament to her courage and determination to compete at the highest level.
Dania Akeel:
“We’re done here in Ruta 40. I had an amazing week with BBR. It was a very interesting race. We learned a lot. The car was perfect. Minor issues, nothing serious. And I worked a lot on my driving, on my speed, on my technique. And I was happy to see the numbers, let’s say, as the week progressed. And I hope that we take this experience to the next race and work harder to reach the front. And I’m very happy with the podium finish, P3".
Nadia Lafuente:
“It was a very tough race. I ran with a co-driver with little experience and had to follow the track closely and stay focused. Even so, I was able to maintain a good pace and keep up with the times. The goal was to finish, and I achieved that. Now the door is open for me to go to the Dakar, and for the rest of the year, I will work towards that goal”.
The next and final round of the championship will take place in Morocco in October. We look forward to seeing more talented women competing in Morocco and beyond.
Credits: ASO Mediacontent, social media of teams, Women of Cross-Country Rally Group
